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The Many
The Many Peoples were a loose conferderation of tribes that slowly united over generations of privation and fear in the isolated northwestern reaches of the world. As their numbers dwindled due to predation from the supernatural and natural rigors of their clime, they made pacts with the beings that dwelt under the open sky and survived. Now they seek to flourish. They have begun to expand from their isolated lands, seeking better lives. Them That Wait The Many Peoples were traditionally prey to the bitter spirits of the wilderness and the beasts that stalk the wastes. As they dwindled and bitter enemies became pitiful fellow survivors boxed in on a small peninsula, the remaining elders of many different tribes called for a Proving. They sought from amongst them one who would take the dream-journey and go into the wastes to speak to the gods.. to Them That Wait, the tribe's collective name for the horrors that dwell out in the dark. There arose amongst them several who would bear the burden, and these Proven '''went into the wild to make pacts of blood and contracts of magic. When the Proven returned, they had bitter news. The tribes were not exempt from predation; however, rather than being considered cattle and mere prey any longer, the beings from the wastes had offered a bargain.. To preserve the fate of their people, the elders agreed to it, and the Proven returned to Them That Wait and drank of their blood and took of their flesh and spirit and with it came amongst the People. And the People's flesh was their flesh, and their children lived on among The People, and they grew again, until they were The Many Peoples. The dark things and the mindless beasts no longer devour the people as cattle in a slaughter; Rules exist now, which must be obeyed. They are in every child's story and on every Elder's lips; the '''The Law of Those Who Wait. The People gained the Gift of Wild Magic from the blood of Spirits that mingled in their veins, and they gained the Lore of Beasts, and knowledge of how to conquer their natural predators in return for due sacrifice and respect for the territory of their ancient predators. Them That Wait also gave a boon of friendship; though they would often still devour The People, as is their way, at times some among those that wait would walk amongst The People, for a day or for many lifetimes, teaching, protecting, and mating, renewing their gift before departing again. The Law of Those Who Wait The sacred compact of The Many Peoples "Our Blood is the Blood of Those Who Wait. Our Flesh is the Flesh of Those Who Wait. We are not enemies. Like enemies we may spill one another's blood with just cause; (Hunger. Ritual. Vengeance. Need.) yet like brothers we do so with love;" "Respect your prey. Avenge not against the respectful predator, though thy life you may fight to keep, and the life of thy kin fight to protect." "Make offerings of your rituals to the kin of the Lost." "If your brother is slain not for hunger, and you receive no offerings in return, vengeance is yours." "If you slay with need, enter the house of your victim's kin and say to them your reasons. They shall judge your fate." "Like siblings grown we live apart in different houses. Yet should there be need, there is succour in the house of your kin; ask for guest-right in the name of this compact and you shall have a moon's hospitality and owe nothing in kind. Ask for a home in the name of this compact, and you will have a place among new Kin." This is henceforth the Law of The Many Peoples, and Them That Wait A note on Truth and Myth: ''' Them That Wait do not all consider themselves a unified group as many among the People believe them to be. In this region's distant past, powerful beings and their spirit courts once held sway over the lands and came together with the devil's bargain that made The People what they are today. Even though some were mindless beasts even then; giant spiders, wolves and bears warped by magic and the Wild to be bloodthirsty, empty places in the wood that will take what you are and leave nightmares inside of you to spill out amongst your kin, the might of the assembled courts held them to the law. As time has passed and some beings sleep, others fade away or are destroyed, new ones appear who have no place in the compact or any desire to adhere to it. These beings create mayhem and disrupt the balance of power in the region, upsetting traditions and sowing ill omens. Additionally, when the original Proven amongst the tribe made their bargains, they were not without prices, and many prices were paid; protect us some from the mindless beasts and we shall respect your lands. Prey not so often on our people, and we shall bring you suckling babes and their mothers once by full moon's light for a generation. Not all of the pacts were within the Proven's ability to pay; luckily or not as the case may be, many of Them That Wait neither age nor die. Thus many of the Gifts of yesterday were bought with today's currency, (See: Ancient Hungers) and the time for payment is come. The Many Peoples The Many People are led by a council of elders, and live in widely distributed tribal settings. The Council of Elders represents all of the people, and so though the council is at most ten to twelve tribal leaders, they call themselves The Many. '''Professions: Tribes have many hunters and gatherers, split mostly along sexual lines; About 65% of hunters are male, and 60% of gatherers are female. Useful trades are also valued; builders, fishermen, bread and toolmakers are common, and women are evenly split amongst these trades. Elders are often storytellers, healers, advisors, and experts, as well as decision makers. Artists and poets are valued as lesson-teachers, all "frivolity" is missing from their arts and stories. The stories serve a purpose; often they are tales to protect the young from Them That Wait, teaching them how to avoid the eyeless things that sneak into the village after dark, or the manner of staying perfectly still when Ahlout the Stag of Flies passes on its evening procession to the Underworld, so as not to be taken along, and a ghoul left in your place. The stories also serve as markers of hope; the story of Gepha the Daughter of the Sky, who dueled The Thousand Hungers and with magic drove it beneath the earth to sleep until called upon to complete a task for the people, or the riddle contest of Ando and Metrask the Golden Bell, which still goes on to this day, the clever Ando keeping the terrible being's attention occupied so that The Many Peoples never have to fear it again. Also included are tales of the beings that came from Outside and gave their blood to the tribes, Alalea the Falling Petals, Milineni, Koae'a the Serpent, and Thrice-Cursed Amoloki, that broke The Law of the People and drank the blood of hundreds before Those Who Wait drove it into the sea. Magic is rarer lately as Them That Wait have withdrawn their blessings from the people and no longer come among them in friendship as they once did. Will-workers are given much respect, and are often from bloodlines touched by spiritual influence. These mages are often elders well before their time, as they are such valuable and insightful members of the community, given to Visions and naturally rising to leadership positions in the tribes. As times again become trying and Them That Wait again begin to devour the people, a new philosophy and caste have arisen among the people; Those Who Endure. Due to the nature of Them That Wait, women often outnumber men in this new caste. Their sole purpose is to deal with peacefully and if necessary delay or slay the beings from Outside to save the lives of The People, no matter the cost. Those Who Endure were primarily of Wild Mages when the magic still walked among The People, but now it is otherwise. It helps to have Spirit blood, as it gives some protection from the predation and powers of Them That Wait when hunting or destroying them, but many who seek to understand, commune with, or serve Them That Wait are also counted and respected among Those Who Endure, as it is the philosophy of Endurance to survive.. whether as allies of the things that at times devour you, or as their slayers. The rate of attrition among Those Who Endure is staggering amongst all branches of the Philosophy, as Them That Wait make fickle masters and dangerous subjects of study as often as horrifying, alien foes. Ancient Hungers The People have grown again, and Them That Wait stir angrily as The People blunder in to settle sacred pact lands and ancient promises are broken. The Many People (as they call themselves now) have swelled again, and the more hot-blooded amongst them seek to escape their endless toil battling the wilderness, and take by force what the other peoples of the world have always taken for granted; plenty. A deep unease stirs the many tribes, and the reason for the murmurings slowly becomes clear to a few. Ancient, deathless beings among Them That Wait have waited long enough, and call to the dreams of the Elderly and the spirit-Touched, demanding payment for their ancient Gifts, promising dire fates for those who neglect the Pacts sworn in blood, and in magic, and borne in the Flesh of The People. There have been no mages for generations; none can lead the people or speak to the dread entities, none engender peace. A Proving must be had to awaken the magic in the blood, to unite The People again. As long before, The Many mobilize The People for war. Category:Muskets and Mages Category:Nation